How Do Ultrasound Body Scans Work?
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What is an Ultrasound?
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In medicine, ultrasound is a term used to describe a body scan procedure which is technically known as a diagnostic sonography. The reason the term ultrasound is used to describe the procedure is that the scan uses high-frequency sound waves which are above a human's audible hearing range, also known as ultrasound, to create an image of the tissues and structures within the body. An ultrasound is a very useful diagnostic test since it is non-invasive, meaning nothing has to enter the body and the skin does not need to be pierced to carry out the test. Additionally, it does not subject the body to radiation as x-rays do.
How Ultrasound Scans Work
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During an ultrasound scan, a technician will usually apply a gel to lubricate an area of the skin which lies above the internal structures which must be scanned. This allows a probe which emits ultrasound waves to slide around easily, and to increase the conduction of the sound into the body. Some of the sound waves then bounce off of tissues and structures within the body, creating echoes which are sensed by the probe. The scanner then determines how long it took the echoes to return. Solid structures like bones and tendons produce more echo, so they will appear brighter on the screen, while fluids produce little echo leaving areas without many bones, or thick tissues darker.
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Uses of Ultrasound Scans
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The most common use of an utlrasounds is viewing the development of a fetus within a pregnant mother. The ultrasound is especially effective in viewing a developing baby, since there are not hard structures between the surface of the skin and the baby. The scan is so sensitive that it is can be used to determine the gender of a baby before it is born.
Apart from pregnancy, ultrasounds can be used for many other diagnostic scans, such as searching for various types of cancer and checking on the health of certain organs, such as the heart, thyroid, prostate and gallbladder. Ultrasounds are also utilized to assist with taking biopsies. The main limitation of ultrasounds is that sound waves are unable to penetrate and reflect images through dense matter, so it is less effective at imaging objects through bone, such as the brain.
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